Legal News 06/2012

By Colleen Jenkins | GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Former Senator John Edwards' affair and child out of wedlock derailed a political rise that put him on the Democrats' 2004 White House ticket, but the one-time trial lawyer held his head high ...(May 31, 2012, Reuters)

Governor taps Eugene lawyer for Circuit Court

By Jeff Wright Gov. John Kitzhaber on Thursday appointed Eugene attorney Jay McAlpin to fill a vacancy on the Lane County Circuit Court created by the retirement of Judge Mary Ann Bearden. “I am very honored with the governor's appointment, ...(May 31, 2012, The Register-Guard)

What makes the matter more complex is that there is no one billing philosophy that works for every practice area: What's perfect for a litigator might not work at all for an estate lawyer. “It's a big question,” said St. Paul attorney Susan Dickel ...(Jun 1, 2012, Minnesota Lawyer)

AUSTIN -- "Trial-lawyer backed" is a label ready-made for Republicans' attack ads in tort reform-happy Texas. But if the 2012 primaries are any guide, the plaintiffs' bar is becoming less shy about investing in the Republican side of the ballot -- and ...(Jun 1, 2012, MyHighPlains)

The World Sikh Organization of Canada has taken up the cause of LaSalle youths told that they can't play soccer if they wear turbans. LaSalle's Aneel Samra, 17, was told he would not be al-lowed to play house league soccer if he insisted on wearing a ...(Jun 1, 2012, Montreal Gazette)

Witness threatened violence against well-known lawyer

The key government witness in the trial of attorney Robert A. George told his girlfriend from prison in 2008 that he was angry at George for cheating him out of money, and that he was going to “smash his head in” if George did not repay him, ...(Jun 1, 2012, Boston.com)

Tim Rayne Named Super Lawyer Top 100 in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia

For the fourth consecutive year, Tim Rayne, a Personal Injury attorney with the Kennett Square and West Chester offices of MacElree Harvey, was named as a Super Lawyer in the category of Plaintiff Personal Injury in Super Lawyers and Philadelphia ...(Jun 2, 2012, PR Web (press release))

City Hall's new No. 1 lobbyist? Lawyer who got Emanuel on ballot

Since helping Mayor Rahm Emanuel turn back an effort to remove him from the 2011 mayoral ballot, Chicago lawyer Mike Kasper has seen his lobbying business boom at City Hall, records show. Kasper successfully beat back arguments that Emanuel didn't meet ...(Jun 2, 2012, Chicago Sun-Times)

Who's the impeachment rock star?

It was also about personalities – from legal luminaries and fiery senators, to clueless witnesses and one defiant ear-covering prosecution lawyer. And so with post-trial assessment comes a shortlist of those who emerged as the impeachment rock stars, ...(Jun 2, 2012, Manila Bulletin)

Inheritance law in UAE is complicated by contradictions

'A lawyer must ensure that the client comprehends the lawyer's advice and recommendations." That rule, or one like it, appears in most codes of conduct for legal professionals. It seems obvious, doesn't it? But I must admit that my best efforts to ...(Jun 2, 2012, The National)

Lawyer says George Zimmerman is in Florida, prepared to turn himself in

SANFORD, Fla. -- George Zimmerman's defense attorney said Sunday that his client is in Florida and plans to turn himself in to police before the deadline ordered by a Florida judge. "The defense team has coordinated with the Sanford Police Department ...(Jun 3, 2012, MyFox Detroit)

The Legal Profession in Belarus

JURIST Columnist Volha Samasiuk is an LL.M. Candidate from the University of Arkansas School of Law, and she was formerly a legal consultant for the Belarus Food Safety Improvement Project. She discusses professional stratification in the Belarus legal ...(Jun 3, 2012, JURIST)

Sandusky strategy may pivot on accuser credibility

BELLEFONTE, Pa. – The case against Jerry Sandusky, whose trial begins Tuesday with jury selection, could boil down to a simple question: Will the young men who claim the former Penn State assistant football coach sexually abused them be viewed as ...(Jun 3, 2012, Fox News)

Kerviel's Refusal to Be Scapegoat May Harm Appeal Chances

Those arguments aren't likely to impress the appellate judges, said Stephane Bonifassi, a Paris criminal lawyer. “What courts like to hear, if they think a guy is guilty, is that he understands what he did,” said Bonifassi, who isn't involved in the ...(Jun 3, 2012, BusinessWeek)

In a recent email to the Housing Development Fund, Gazette lawyer Pat McGinley disputed the agency's assertion that the invoices could be withheld. McGinley said the Housing Development Fund could have redacted, or blacked out, any confidential ...(Jun 3, 2012, Charleston Gazette)

Edwards Verdict Shows Clemens Need Not Fear Taint of Reputation

Clemens's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, got McNamee to admit he'd lied to federal investigators and accused him of alcohol abuse and engaging in a fraudulent scheme to obtain diet pills. “The facts are very different, the personalities are different,” Robert ...(Jun 3, 2012, Bloomberg)

Ad Watch: Gaines flier untruthful about Pugno

Gaines also characterized Pugno as a trial lawyer whose campaign is funded by trial lawyers, and as someone who "files lawsuits for a living" and thereby is "working against small business." Gaines, Pugno and Democrat Regy Bronner are running in the ...(Jun 4, 2012, Sacramento Bee)

Legal Defense - Picking a Criminal Attorney

The crucial thing to don't forget about selecting a criminal lawyer in San Antonio is that they should have time to give you their full interest and allocate time getting to know the ins and outs that led you to currently being component of a criminal ...(Jun 4, 2012, The Bakersfield Voice)

Injury lawyer: Techniques to Purchase Legitimate Support

Folks who wants manage to shell out your individual harm lawyer advance by way of funds or even money greeting card, you could be capable of working out there a new repayment plan. The truth is, a lot of law firms recognize funding in an effort to ...(Jun 4, 2012, The Bakersfield Voice)

Jerry Sandusky's lawyer Joe Amendola in spotlight as trial nears

“If I had said that, people would write it off as lawyer spin.” Amendola went on to say he heard from other attorneys who thought the interview was the right move. Amendola then set up an interview with The New York Times for Sandusky to explain his ...(Jun 4, 2012, Sacramento Bee)

George Zimmerman back in jail after bail is revoked; lawyer seeks new bail hearing - The Star-Ledger

By AP Roberto Gonzalez/Getty ImagesGeorge Zimmerman (right) is escorted out of a van in to the Seminole County Jail as he surrenders to authorities after he had his bond revoked after being accused of misleading the court about his finances June 3, ...(Jun 4, 2012, NJ.com)

Diversify or Die: How Adding Ancillary Businesses Can Get Your Firm Through ...

Yet for the second year running, most of the nearly 600 lawyers who weighed in on Canadian Lawyer's Legal Fees Survey have indicated plans to raise fees. Fifty-two per cent of this year's respondents said they plan to raise fees in the year ahead, ...(Jun 4, 2012, Canadian Lawyer Magazine)

Supreme Court disciplines 13 attorneys

As an official arm of the Florida Supreme Court, The Florida Bar and its Department of Lawyer Regulation are charged with administering a statewide disciplinary system to enforce Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for the 93000-plus lawyers ...(Jun 4, 2012, Jacksonville Daily Record)

By BEN ROSARIO The camp of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday called "unfair" insinuations that she could be behind the disappearance of a vital witness in the electoral sabotage case against her. Arroyo legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio ...(Jun 4, 2012, Manila Bulletin)

May Lawyer of the Month: He's Got a 'Huge [Bleep]hole'!

By Staci Zaretsky It's time to announce the winner of May's Lawyer of the Month competition. This time around, readers had five of our most entertaining lawyers to date to choose from, including allegedly outrageous emailers, super-rude letter writers, ...(Jun 4, 2012, Above the Law)

From Farm to Fork: A Food Safety Lawyer Shares Lessons Never to be Forgotten

Mark Bello has thirty-five years experience as a trial lawyer and thirteen years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance ...(Jun 4, 2012, Legal Examiner)

Little Business Legal professionals - Are They Essential?

There is no explanation why you should hold out until finally you have a lawsuit or some type of pending litigation to employ a company lawyer. Hiring your attorney before you have any likely issues, allows your lawyer to offer sound guidance in the ...(Jun 4, 2012, The Bakersfield Voice)

The Trial Lawyer Paycheck Act

This week the 60-vote requirement will once again help kill a nasty bit of legislating known as the Paycheck Fairness Act. Majority Leader Harry Reid is back with this trial lawyer doozy just in time for 2012 election ads. Democrats last rolled out ...(Jun 4, 2012, Wall Street Journal)

In-House Lawyer Pro Bono Insurance Scheme Launched

A National Pro Bono Professional Indemnity Insurance Scheme has been launched in Victoria together with a new guide to in-house pro bono prepared by law firm DLA Piper. Representatives from law firms and corporate and government in-house legal teams ...(Jun 4, 2012, Pro Bono Australia)

Veteran Defense Attorney Takes Helm at NY State Bar

Jonathan Gradess, head of the New York State Defenders Association, said he and James began practicing law the same year, 1974, when James joined the Legal Aid Society, where he now is the attorney-in-charge of the organization's 600-lawyer criminal ...(Jun 4, 2012, Texas Lawyer)

Lawyer gets longest-ever insider trading sentence

By DAVID PORTER, AP – 1 minute ago NEWARK, NJ (AP) — A former attorney who admitted feeding privileged information to two confederates over the course of a 17-year insider stock trading scheme was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison, ...(Jun 4, 2012, The Associated Press)

Lawyer gets longest-ever prison sentence for insider trading

NEWARK, NJ — A former attorney who admitted feeding privileged information to two confederates over the course of a 17-year insider stock trading scheme was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison, the longest sentence ever handed out for insider ...(Jun 4, 2012, New York Daily News)

Bar must respond by June 14 to lawyer's suit over EGM

KUALA LUMPUR (June 5, 2012): The Malaysian Bar has to respond by June 14 to a suit filed by a lawyer challenging a notice to call for its extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on May 11. High Court Judge Datuk John Louis O'Hara also set June 13 for the ...(Jun 4, 2012, The Sun Daily)

Volusia Lawyer Receives Board Certification From Florida Bar

Caldwell – who has worked for the personal-injury law firm the past 17 years – is the only lawyer in Port Orange who is board certified in civil trial law and has achieved what is known as the highest level of evaluation by the Florida Bar,” according ...(Jun 5, 2012, PR Web (press release))

North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer Named to the National Trial Lawyers: Top ...

North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer Named to the National Trial Lawyers: Top ...(Jun 5, 2012, PR Web (press release))

How to determine whether a legal document should be written in plain language

But should you insist that your lawyer always use plain English? No, says William Maffucci, an attorney at Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia, LLC. Smart Business spoke with Maffucci about when to insist that your lawyer speak clearly and when, ...(Jun 5, 2012, Smart Business Network)

Lawyer shows up with baby after delay denied

Lawyer Amber Vazquez Bode said her assistant faxed a request for a continuance Thursday, ahead of a deadline for a jury trial that was to begin this week. Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Glenn Bass tells the Austin American-Statesman ...(Jun 5, 2012, Austin American-Statesman)

Trial Attorney Mark Lanier Highlighted Among Texas' Best Lawyers

HOUSTON, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Noted trial attorney Mark Lanier, founder of The Lanier Law Firm, has earned selection to the 2012 edition of Texas' Best Lawyers as one of the Lawyers of the Year for mass tort and class-action ...(Jun 5, 2012, MarketWatch (press release))

Msnbc.com reporters and NBC correspondents bring you compelling stories from across the nation. For more US news, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel / AP After his bond was revoked, George Zimmerman returns to the John ...(Jun 5, 2012, msnbc.com)

Mark A. Barondess Joins Kalbian Hagerty

Renowned for his decidedly aggressive approach in court, Mark is a successful trial lawyer with more than 27 years of experience focused on complex civil litigation and arbitration. Mark's background includes litigating high-profile cases in state and ...(Jun 5, 2012, MarketWatch (press release))

Defense lawyer: 3 jurors picked for Sandusky trial

GENARO C. ARMAS, AP, MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press FILE - This April 5, 2012 file photo shows Jerry Sandusky arriving at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa. A simple question could be the key to the case against Jerry Sandusky: Will the ...(Jun 5, 2012, Seattle Post Intelligencer)

Defense lawyer: 3 jurors picked for Sandusky trial

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) - Three of the 16 jurors and alternates needed for former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse trial were selected Tuesday morning, a defense attorney told The Associated Press. The jurors were picked during ...(Jun 5, 2012, SI.com)

Will computers soon replace your lawyer?

By Timothy P. Harkness and Dana L. Post Over the past few decades, the technology revolution has profoundly changed the marketplace as machines have replaced humans in virtually every sector in the global economy. The impact of technology was ...(Jun 5, 2012, Thomson Reuters News & Insight)